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OTTAWA  — The Royal Architectural Institute of 17�Թ��� (RAIC) is mourning the loss of Dr. Kongjian Yu, founder and principal designer of Turenscape, who was killed in a plane crash in Brazil last week.

Yu was the 2025 recipient of the , awarded to Turenscape in recognition of its contributions to landscape architecture, ecological urbanism and climate-resilient design, explains a release.

The circumstances surrounding Yu’s death remain the subject of ongoing investigation. Brazilian authorities have confirmed the aircraft he was in crashed in a rural region near Aquidauana, in the Pantanal wetlands, resulting in the deaths of Yu and three others, including the pilot and two filmmakers.

“We were saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Dr. Kongjian Yu. His vision of working with nature to shape resilient, livable cities was recently recognized with the RAIC International Prize and has left a lasting impact on the global design community,” said Jason Robbins, RAIC immediate past-president and co-chair of the RAIC International Prize Selection Committee. 

Under Yu’s leadership, Turenscape designed in over 250 cities and executed more than 1,000 projects.

The RAIC International Prize selection committee heralded the firm’s work for “celebrating beauty and ecology, drawing lessons from natural systems to develop holistic responses that regenerate degraded urban ecosystems, increase resilience to flooding and sea level rise, cultivate natural habitats in urban areas, and create inspiring spaces that foster human reconnection to our natural world.”  

One of his signature contributions is the advancement of the Sponge City concept: a nature-based approach to urban water management that seeks to reorient cities from impermeable infrastructure toward systems that absorb, retain and reuse rainwater in harmony with ecological cycles. Under his guidance, the Sponge City philosophy became adopted in national policies across China and found resonance in cities around the world, the release adds. 

Peking University’s College of Architecture and Landscape, which Yu founded and led, called his passing is “a profound loss…for the field of ecological landscape design in China and around the world.”

“The RAIC extends our deepest condolences to Dr. Yu’s family, his collaborators at Turenscape, his students, and all those in the architectural and landscape communities whose lives he touched,” the release adds. “His ideas, spirit, and legacy will continue to inspire and challenge us to design with humility, imagination, and respect for natural systems.”